Inspiring stories of intergenerational support – International Youth Day

Ahead of International Youth Day (12 August), and considering the increasingly vital support to be found in communities during such challenging times, we wanted to highlight a project run by YMCA Plymouth which captures this year’s theme of Intergenerational Solidarity perfectly.   Through YMCA Plymouth’s Y’s Group project, students from Discovery College meet in groups with older people from the community to share…

Haven First charity joins forces with One YMCA to provide more services and support for local people experiencing homelessness

One YMCA, a local YMCA serving Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Buckinghamshire, has announced a merger with Stevenage-based Housing Association Haven First in order to improve services and assistance for local people experiencing homelessness. Haven First will become a subsidiary of the One YMCA Group on August 1st of this year, with a full merger with YMCA…

World’s oldest and largest youth charity joins forces with leading law firm Sidley to offer much needed support to young Londoners

YMCA London City and North and Sidley Austin LLP have today launched an exciting five-year partnership to help transform young lives across London, with support from YMCA England & Wales. As part of the partnership, Sidley will invest £500,000 over the next five years to help YMCA build a new Youth Hub at LandAid House,…

YMCA response to the Chancellor’s Spring Statement

Responding to the Chancellor’s Spring Statement, Denise Hatton, Chief Executive of YMCA England & Wales, said: “While YMCA appreciates and acknowledges the pressures faced by inflation, international conflict, and our very necessary response, there is no denying that the Chancellor has missed a vital opportunity to provide support for those in desperate financial need.  …

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Devalued by a decade of cuts, dramatic fall in spend per head and a debilitating postcode lottery: the latest picture of youth service funding

Research released today by YMCA reveals that not only have funding cuts now reached £1.1bn (a real-terms fall of 74% since 2010/11) but annual spend per head on 5-to-17-year-olds in England has plummeted from £158 in 2010/11 to just £37 in 2020/21.   Investigating real-terms local authority spending on youth services, YMCA found that a…